Jools Holland on pop music, Greenwich and dog ... - Boisdale Shop

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landonpop JolsHol
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John Hyde, Chief Reporter
Friday, April 22, 2011
2:11 PM
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MUSICAL maestro he may be, but <strong>Jools</strong>
<strong>Holland</strong> is not one for musical snobbery.
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Indeed, despite his legendary status in
the industry, he admits there are even a
few skeletons in his musical closet.
“I never look up or down at people’s
musical taste. It’s not like my musical
taste is any better or worse than other
people’s.
<strong>Jools</strong> <strong>Holland</strong> takes in the surroundings of
Boisdale.
“I suppose I learn more about music the
more I write and play and listen, but I’m
<strong>Jools</strong> <strong>Holland</strong> performs live.
as easily seduced by common pop
music as the next man: it’s like a cheap perfume. Pop music is great.
“I even like old musicals. Just the other day I listened to a bit of Ain’t It Grand to be
Blooming Well Dead. You should give it a try!”
<strong>Jools</strong> was in Canary Wharf in the sumptuous surrounds of the new restaurant
Boisdale, which doubles up as a live venue for jazz, soul and rhythm and blues.
It’s a far cry from his first experience of the area, when he crossed the river from his
Greenwich home to explore the Isle of Dogs.
“My history here goes back as far as the mid 1970s when I used to walk through the
foot tunnel with my girlfriends and take them for a treat to pubs like the Watermans
Arms.
“I played piano in The Gun pub back when it was a seedy little joint – that was a really
tough old place.
“I liked coming to the Isle of Dogs as it was like coming to a foreign country compared
to where I was used to in Greenwich. You went through what we called the ‘pipe’ and
emerged in this different romantic place.”
So does he long for the days of dockers and a landscape free from Canary Wharf’s
skyscrapers?
“Canary Wharf was being built at the same time as my studio, though I noticed the
tower seemed to be going a bit quicker.
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<strong>Jools</strong> <strong>Holland</strong> on pop
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“It was interesting to me the idea of creating a whole new city. At first I was worried but
I think it’s brought a fantastic amount of life. In a nice way it reminds me of Gotham
City.
“This area is becoming its own place but it takes time – I’m sure people even
grumbled when they put up buildings around Regent’s Park but they look beautiful
now.”
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And what of his home borough of Greenwich? Are there any changes he laments?
500 Hotels in
“I was born in Greenwich and my studio and family are still there so I have great
London UK
affection for it. I like London generally – I love the differences of each area.
Book your hotel in “Greenwich has changed in the last 10 or 15 years with the pubs and little cafes
London online No disappearing. Property values are so high that it’s better to sell up than try to make a
reservation costs. living selling tea.
Great rates!
www.booking.com/UK-Hotels-London
… For me the greatest sadness is they took away the dog track from Charlton. An old
friend of mine told me they used to put monkeys on the backs of the dogs.
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“We never believed it , but I looked it up and in fact they had dolls made to look like
monkeys so it wasn’t hurting anybody. But what great fun that must have been to
watch!”
<strong>Jools</strong> was at the official opening party for Boisdale last Thursday and will be back on
June 21 with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.
It’s a rarity now to see a jazz venue opening rather than closing and the former
Squeeze frontman is excited by the prospect of bringing his favourite music to the
area.
“I liked the plan not only to have some great artists from the world of jazz and blues,
but also to look for new talent. There are fewer places around nowadays that do this
kind of thing so it’s very much needed.
“The one in Belgravia is small and intimate. This is bigger but it works well. It has a
cotton club vibe to it – I like it because it’s glamorous and jazzy at the same time, with
this city out there and the club feel in here.”
Of course, the 53-year-old is best known for his television work on The Tube, Later
With… <strong>Jools</strong> <strong>Holland</strong> and his annual show Hootenanny.
Next year sees the 30th anniversary of his first television presenting role and 20 years
of Later – and the industry is barely recognisable today from his first appearances.
“The world has changed so much since we started. When I did The Tube a couple of
million people would watch and that’s the end of it. Now it’s uploaded after the event
on YouTube and it goes on to be seen to so many more people.
“I never thought the show would last two minutes, never mind 20 years, but it’s
worked and has been sold around the world. Nobody else apart from the BBC would
do a show like it and it’s a great celebration of what the BBC should be producing.”
And is <strong>Jools</strong> <strong>Holland</strong> really as happy as his public perception seems to suggest?
“I wouldn’t want to be thought of as an empty-headed, smiling, banal fool, but on the
other hand I do think I probably have a positive view of things.
“Music is a great thing to keep you full of joy and lift the human spirit. To be involved
so much in music and in something I love keeps me happy. Music is my wife and my
mistress.”
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